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Socoder -> On Topic -> Coding on OUYA with AIDE

Thu, 07 Aug 2014, 05:39
Jayenkai
OUYA have seen fit to add a minimalist IDE system onto their console, which is a great idea for getting the kiddies into learning the sort of things that we tend to take for granted.
Unfortunately, they've not, IMO, picked a very good tool for doing it.

--- copy and pasted from the post I made on "That" OUYA forum ---

Hurdle Number One : AIDE The App is inside the "Tutorials" section, as opposed to the "Software" section where you expect it to be.. This is truly bizarre...

Hurdle Number Two : AIDE is CODE centric.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for code. In fact the language I use, Monkey-X, is all about the code. It has little or no IDE at all, and is focussed on the typing.
Within Monkey-X I can create many wonderful games.
But, in no way shape or form would I call it a learner-friendly development suite.

When I was told there was a new toolkit for game creation, I expected something more usable than a blank screen with text in it.
I actually expected something more like WarioWare DIY, with it's wonderful introductions to sprites, game logic and more... but alas, all there was was a white screen with code on it.
The tutorial guides you well enough, but it's still a wall of text.

I learned to code this way because I was bored out of my mind, and had nothing better to do. Kids these days prefer more instant gratification.
Maybe you could help kids understand by starting with "sprite editing" and "level editing" and then guide them towards the code.
Maybe you could give them little logic puzzles and build their understanding that way.
But a wall of code, and a pointer that says "Click run!" when the user is holding a control pad, has no mouse or even a keyboard....
Hmmmm....

I understand the importance of adding this sort of feature to OUYA, but the way it is, isn't quite right for beginners.

Like David Hewlett says, sometimes the code is the scariest part. If you fling it straight at the newbie, it's not a pleasant experience.

https://youtu.be/5s5uX2Ro9nM


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''Load, Next List!''
Thu, 07 Aug 2014, 05:56
cyangames
It would be nice if there was a tool akin to say game maker or even klik 'n' play on there. Although, I think no matter what, you're going to need keyboard and mouse input on there at some point.

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Web / Game Dev, occasionally finishes off coding games also!